War is, in fact a nasty, dirty business. People you never met are perfectly willing to kill YOU, personally. And in some of the most unpleasant manners imaginable. Life as a Soldier is . . . demeaning, demanding and desperate. There are no 'Rest Stops' or other amenities. Often times you'll eat your crackers sitting on the corpse of a recent enemy, or even a friend.

There's no pity, no civility, no decency in it. You'll find chunks of humans hanging in trees or smeared on the pavement. You find yourself hiding in a hole with a ripe corpse, you may flop down to avoid machine gun fire and land belly first in a grisly pile of gore that was a young man not long before. You may be stealthily moving through the woods at night, and suddenly your boot finds some slippery ball of some other guy's guts. Battlefields stink, of shit, and rotten meat, and of blood, fresh and dried, burnt flesh and rubber, diesel and hot metal, wood and weeds. You may find yourself working through a sewer system, 'sanitary' or storm, matters little, it'll be dark, damp, and filthy. The stinks are indescribable. Oftentimes, in an urban area, you'll be forced to crawl through god knows what, in a dark and confined pipe . . . you'll be consumed with the fear of the pipe wall collapsing, leaving you entombed, to die slowly.

Sometimes you'll be advancing on your enemy's position and have your buddy's brains spattered over your face. High velocity bullets do that, the skull explodes. Other times some poor bastard will be crawling along in his own guts, trailing out behind all purpley and stringy. Another time you might be the one to try to administer First Aid to a guy you know, a guy from your squad.

One look will tell you it's hopeless, but his eyes beg for you to try. So you do. He asks that you stay with him, but you're afraid they have this spot 'zero'ed' and you want to get the hell off the dime as quick as you can. Your call. If you do and he dies with company and what little peace that gives him, you may be next. Or not. It's a crazy crap shoot. You just don't know.

Soldiers have trouble with bodily functions, sometimes you can't shit at all, and other times, you can't stop. I went once 22 days without taking a crap, and when I finally did, it hurt like hell. Fear, stress, the bad food, all that. Once you hit the bush, there's no regular meals; 'C' rations in my day, eaten cold . . . if you got 'em. GI Crackers and GI peanut butter. Guaranteed to dam up a Goose. Water comes where you find it - strain it through a sock, throw the pills in it, swish it around, hold your nose and shut your yes and drink. Kind of like swiggin' Mom's laundry water.

Every Soldier must have a spade, trowel, some digging implement. As soon he stops, he scrapes out a shallow pit for himself, piling the spoil in front of his position. As soon as he's able, he digs it deeper, again reserving the dirt for his berm. This goes on as long as he's on that spot. When the word comes to move, he just leaves it and is ready to it all again a hundred yards down the road. So a round point spade with a short, sturdy handle works well, sometimes a square point shovel will work, depending on the soil. Sometimes it takes a pick and mattock, which you won't likely have.

A good field knife is a blessing. One with a thick blade and a full tang. I like Carbon Steel 'cause it's easier to sharpen. There won't be many Close Quarters Knife fights, at least with the enemy; so pretty fighting knives are just decorations. And weight. Don't carry any more than you need.

The guys in the Sandbox and the rocks, carry every damn thing imaginable and end up humping 100#'s or more.

Water's heavy and you need it, nobody's perfected powdered water yet. Two canteens minimum, I kept a two quart canteen in my ruck, in addition to the two on the belt. Camelback's work, but water's still heavy. If you're planning on eating MRE's you'll need a lot of water, that shit's DRY. Vitamins, Allergy pills, IFAK, gotta haves. Have your glasses on a headband, so you won't lose them too soon. Hard candy, like Jolly Ranchers is good. Tea Bags . . . tea has more caffeine than coffee. TP is good, or n equivalent substitute, keep it dry, in a zip lock bag. Mash a half roll flat.

Have clothes to suit the weather. Sturdy pants and boots, have extra socks. Alternate daily. Gloves, hat, shemagh if you like, they come in handy at times. Or a good yard square bandana, like Cowboys use, Get some women's 'Knee Highs' to wear in cold weather, Panyhose is good, too. Layer in winter. Wool is warmest, even when wet, but wool's heavy, too. Fleece is nice to have.

You're gonna sleep and fight in the same clothes, eat, shit and die in the same clothes, so be prepared for that. You'll stink like a Polecat, and itch and have lots of little friends everywhere you never knew existed. Soldierin's a bitch, buddy, does this Republic matter that much to you? No matter, if they win, they win it all. You get worked to death or just plain shot. You don't really havea choice in this, do you? Well, yeah, I guess you do. If your life is more valuable than your daughter's innocence; your son's life, your wife's safety, then, I suppose you can crawl back into the truck and 'guard the duffel bags'.

So, all my brave hearties, speak as you will of marching forth to crush the enemies of the Republic, of Christ, of whatever god you name, but know that all I've said above . . . and worse, will find you out, at one time or another.

Do
you know,' he (Lindemann) asked, 'what the future historians
will regard as the most important event of this age?’

‘Well,
what is it?’

'It
will not
be Hitler and the Second World War; it will not be
the release of nuclear energy; it will not be the
menace of Communism.'

These negatives seemed very comprehensive.
He put on an expression of extreme severity and turned down the corners of his lips: ‘It will be the abdication of the White man.’Then he nodded his head up and down several times to drive home his proposition."

This sounds like a joke and really should be a joke, but is, in fact, a
real event that happened in Portland (of course). Heather Franklin, a
social justice warrior (SJW) who resides in Portland, went shopping at a
local store and had a full-fledged flip out over a rug for sale that
had a Confederate flag on it. Then she filmed it, complete with
hysterical, contrived sobbing for all of us to laugh at. The sobbing
began when a man she had just accused of being a racist and of enjoying
"black rape" followed her out of the store and filmed her from a great
distance. One can only surmise he was filming her to make sure she
wasn't doing damage to the property after verbally freaking out inside
the store and trying to manufacture a hate crime. The shameless lying
in this video is absurd.

Senators Biden and Kennedy are responsible for the UN/US Refugee
Admissions Program. See list below of other Senators deeply involved in
1979.

There is a short news item at Delaware Public Mediaabout
how a Jewish refugee agency in Delaware is waiting for seven families
(likely Muslim families based on their country of origin) they hope they
will soon be settling in Delaware—the First State. So I thought I
might revisit a topic I haven’t discussed for a long time and that is
the origin of the Refugee Act of 1980.

Hidden in the heart of Europe lies the land of emperors, waltz and
schnitzel. A paradise for skiers, hikers and city lovers all in one.
From the steep hills of the Alps to the magnificent palaces of Vienna,
every tourist can find something just to their taste.

Austria
is the home of famous classical composers like Mozart, psychologist
Sigmund Freud and architect Hundertwasser. Its history is rich with
wars, splendor and intrigue. The rich culture, which has produced
countless pieces of art, music, plays and books is present throughout
the country. And for the foodies: get ready to enjoy the delicious local
cuisine.

Below we have gathered the top attractions as well as
the best-kept secrets, hidden places and off-the-beaten track surprises
to make your stay in Austria unforgettable.

America may be first, but let Austria be second. Let’s take a look at what you should not miss when you visit the “eastern realm”:

Remembrance

Winners: Navy Cross Nguyen Van Kiet & MOH Thomas R. Norris This week’s Medal of Honor hero is one of a handful of Navy SEALs awarded the MOH in the Vietnam War. Norris snuck behind enemy lines with a South Vietnamese Navy petty officer rescued two downed pilots in 1972–when most of our resources had been pulled from the country. Interesting to note that later year, Norris was himself rescued by another SEAL Michael E. Thornton.More @ Medal of Honor Roll Call

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Core Creek Militia

==============================My sixth great grandfather, his wife, and five of his six children were killed in battle with the Tuscarora Indians at Core Creek, NC.

The Seven Blackbirds

==============================My third great grandfather was an Ensign in the Revolutionary War, and saved his unit's flag after being wounded at the Battle of Brandywine. He was also at Kingston (Kinston), Wilmington, Charleston, Two Sisters and Augusta. He was at the defeat at Brier Creek and also Bee Creek.

Requiem Aeternam -
Eternal Rest Grant unto Them
==============================
My second great grandfather was killed in action on May 3, 1863 at the Battle of Chancellorsville.
=============================
My great grandfather and great uncle knew all the men in the "Civil War Requiem" video as they were part of the 53rd NC which was the sole unit defending Fort Mahone. (Fort Mahone was named "Fort Damnation" by the Yankees) *Handpicked men of the 53rd (My great grandfather was one of these) made the final, night assault at Petersburg in an attempt to break Grant's line. This was against Fort Stedman which was a few miles to the slight northeast. They initially succeeded, but reinforcements drove them back. This video is made from photographs which were taken the day after the 53rd evacuated the lines the night before to begin the retreat to Appomattox. I have many more pictures taken by the same photographer, one of these shows a 14 year old boy and the other is the famous picture of the blond, handsome soldier with his musket.
===========================
*General Gordon promised the men a gold medal and 30 days leave if they accomplished their task and many years after the War my great grandfather wrote General Gordon, who was then governor of Georgia about this incident. They exchanged several letters which I have framed. See first link below.
===========================
*The Attack On Fort Stedman
============================
"His Colored Friends"
============================
Lee's Surrender
=============================
My Black NC Kinfolks
============================
Punished For Being Caught!

Great Grandfather Koonce

He was a drummer boy in the WBTS, survived the War only to die a few years later. He was caught in an ice storm on his way home, but instead of seeking shelter, continued on his horse until the end. His clothes had to be cut off and he died a few days later.

Thank you

I would just like you to know how so very glad I am that I found your blog. I have learned more history from you and the many links that you post than I have from reading all my history books. I can never thank you enough for the education you are freely giving me. It is priceless. And eye opening.

Many times I will not comment, but that does not mean I am not reading and learning.

You sir, are an educator. Thank you.

PhyllisWantage, NJ

Good morning Mr. Townsend,

Just to let you know I have finally finished that massive tome on General Lee. I never knew 1/10th of what a great man he was. No wonder the South is so proud of him! So sad that we have few men of his caliber today. We need them desperately. I have learned more history through you and your blog than I thought I could ever learn. I am very grateful to you. Thank you so much for taking time to answer my e-mail. And thank you for your blog and for opening my eyes.

PhyllisWantage, NJ

".......So good to hear from you! And also so pleased you are converting more of us Yankees! You have no idea how many people you have taught. And how many are so grateful to you for showing us the truth."

Your faithful friend,

Phylis

==============================

I have also learned from Brock Townsend and two nurses lately, that appreciation expressed by someone for whom you have great respect overwhelms the lack of appreciation by some from whom you expect it. I believe that we cannot really know which small bit of help makes the life-saving difference. ﻿I may have learned more real American history on Brock's blog than in 20 years of government schooling.

I have learned more history from you than all the years I was supposed to be in school (and not out hunting or fishing).

==============================

I really must say, I like thousands of others have said, your blog is the best out there and with all of your history and experience, you should run for *president. I look forward to reading your blog every day and every day I learn from you. Thank you for the time you put into this effort .

Sincerely,

Scott Fitts

*It would have to be an improvement. :) BT

==============================

Hi Brock,

Ever since I picked up on your blog I "Knew" you were a "Gentleman of the South!" You lack the "Crassness" that is so prevalent in today's Sociopolitical arena but speak with the Firmness in Truth and Conviction of Right like the words of our Late Great President Jefferson Davis! That is Honorable.

I have been thinking about this for a while now. At first it was a very subtle notice, then it became larger as I saw more. Then it bloomed to me to be what it is. In your writings, in your Blog, Brock, "You" have written, posted and done more to eradicate the "Revisionist History" forced on us by the "Northern Aggressors,"BAR NONE!!!" The "Stars and Bars" fly High and Proud today even more thanks to your efforts!

Reading your post on 03 JUNE about the birthday of President Jefferson Davis and the "quotes" of his was the galvanizing statement! The first words of "His" you posted say so much, are timeless and can never be "Destroyed!" by any man! .......and those words were........

"Truth crushed to the earth is still truth still and like a seed will rise again."--Jefferson Davis (1808-1889)

In so many ways you and your efforts to keep and carry on the "Truth of the South" are the water and light of the Sun that nourish "That Seed" that Jefferson Davis speaks of! That "Seed" of "Southern Truth!" That cannot be vanquished because of efforts like Men as yourself!

Thanks for your selfless effort,

The "Stars and Bars" FLY!

Got gunz....OUTLAW?

III%,

skybill-out

=============================

Dear Mr. Townsend,

I wanted to write to thank you for the pleasure and education I have received from reading your blog "Free North Carolina". I can honestly say that FNC is one of the first sites I visit daily.

I am a northerner by birth yet I consider the vilification of all things "South" a true and tragic disgrace. Your work has enabled me to become more familiar with a culture that I admire, yet have never really been familiar with.

Keep up the outstanding work!

A friend north of the Mason-Dixon Line,

Bob

===============================

My good sir,

I have been reading your blog for years, filling-in the woeful gaps in my knowledge thanks to your efforts, and have been truly impressed with not merely the depth and breadth of the topics you broach, but the frank and honest way you deal with them.

I salute you.

You cannot imagine my immense delight at just reading the "Witting, intentionally, and willfully..." posted on your site, that you linked to Theo Spark's blog.

I'm the guy that wrote it and sent it to Theo a few days ago.

On both our behalves, thank you for posting it on your fine blog.

With warmest personal regards,

Rico

refzip.com

http://refzip.com/

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